A Schoolboy’s Dream

Sometimes you hear a story that perfectly exemplifies what you are going through.

Well, the other day I was playing imaginary games with Ealy.

Most of the food that I give him, take on different characters and embark on a variety of incredible adventures between the time of leaving his plate and reaching his gob.

This morning was no different. His slice of toast was a scorpion that magically transformed into a helicopter when it reached space. (Pretty, cool, huh?!)

Anyway, somewhere between burning the toast and tripping over Riley with a cup of peppermint tea, I thought about how amazing Ealy’s imagination is. To him everything and anything is possible and his dreams have no bounds.

In that moment I felt compelled to write about it but first I knew I had a canine to walk.

As I headed out the door I stuck my headphones in my ears and an audio program began to play.

It was playing Darren Hardy’s Living Your Best Year Ever. It was approaching the end of the recording where Darren tells a story about a schoolboy’s dream. The story originally came from Jack Canfield and you’ll find links to these guys below.

It’s a real pleasure to share the same story with you here because I think it beautiful showcases the power of vision, imagination, having a dream and pursuing it.

There’s a man named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in Santa Cedro.

Standing before a group of people at a fundraising event, Monty tells the story of a youngman who is the son of a roaming horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch training horses.

As a result the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be when he grew up.

That evening he wrote a 7 page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and even drew a diagram of a 200 acre ranch showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track.

Then he drew a detailed floor plan of a 4000 sq ft house that would sit on the 200 acre dream ranch. He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he proudly handed it to the teacher.

Two days later he received his paper back.

On the front of the page was a large red F with a note that read “See me after class”.

The boy with a dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, “Why did I receive an F?”

The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic goal for a boy like you. You have no money. You come from a nomadic family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires lots of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.”

Then the teacher added, “If you will re-write the paper with a more realistic goal I will reconsider your grade.”

The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, “Look, son, you have to make up your mind on this however I think it’s a very important decision for you.”

Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He said, ” You keep the F, I’ll keep my dream.”

Monty then turned to the assembled group and said I tell you this story because I am that boy and you are sitting in my 4000 sq ft ranch house in the middle of my 200 acre horse ranch.

I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace. He added the best part of the story is that 2 summers ago that same school teacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.

When the teacher was leaving he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher I was something of a dream-stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids dreams. Fortunately, you had enough gumption to not give up on yours.”

So, as we wrap up our chat today, I want to urge you to never be discouraged and never let anyone steal your dream, nor you theirs for that matter.

Let’s take extra care of the dreams and goals of our kids.

Their spirits are so precious so let’s support them as much as possible. Giving them permission to fantasise, pretend, imagine and dream those wildly ambitious, sensationally unbelievable and extraordinary dreams. Who knows, they may very well come true… wouldn’t that be amazing!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, “what’s with the Katy Perry vid?” Well, it’s there as a gentle reminder of how incredible and unique you truly are. You know, in case you forgot!

So, as Katy says, go and, “let your colours burst.”

With my love, always,
Nat x

Please note: the story, the names, references and entire passage is property of Darren Hardy from his program, Living Your Best Year Ever. Pearl Grace Life does not take any credit for it – I just love it’s message and believe such messages are worth sharing.

For more on Darren Hardy check out his blog here and to learn more about Jack Canfield head here.